Marathon coaches measure success not by how many runners they get to the starting line, but by how many of them finish. With the help of 10 supercoaches who have gotten more than half a million marathoners across the line, we've collected the best tips, strategies, and training plans to prepare you for your first - or fastest - 26.2-miler this fall

More people are running marathons than ever before. In 2006, there were 410,000 marathon finishers in the United States--an increase of 40 percent from 1995. Not surprisingly, this boom has been followed by a surge in marathon-training plans, ranging from low-mileage beginner programs to supertough elite schedules. Each has its virtues and drawbacks, but if you took the time to compare them all, you wouldn't have enough time to actually train. So we did the work for you. We assembled a panel of 10 leading coaches whose marathon-training programs are the most road-tested in America, yielding more than half a million successful marathon finishers over the years. Here we present their collective wisdom on the eight most important components of marathon training - from the initial mileage buildup to the final mileage taper. And with their input, we offer two 16-week training schedules for varying abilities (The Rookie Marathon Training Plan and The Veteran Marathoner Training Plan) - plans you won't find anywhere else. So whether you're a marathon rookie or a veteran with visions of qualifying for Boston, we've got everything you need to know to prepare for - and complete - your best 26.2-miler.

Mileage Buildup

Gradually increasing weekly mileage is the cornerstone of all marathon-training programs. Most plans have you roughly doubling your mileage from 10 to 30 miles per week at the beginning to 30 to 70 miles at the high-mileage week - just before the taper. All but one of our panelists suggest that you achieve this buildup by gradually adding a little distance to nearly every run each week. Galloway, the exception, only ups the distance on Sundays, when long runs are scheduled. "I've found that runners who increase their mileage by lengthening midweek and weekend long runs have a higher rate of injury," he says.

If you were to plot the mileage of most marathon-training schedules on a graph, it would show a straight, slowly rising line followed by a short, steep plunge during the taper. But reality is never that smooth. "Expect peaks and valleys - periods of improvement and stagnation," says Connelly. And if you miss a day or two of training, just go back to the schedule. "If you miss a whole week, backtrack the same amount of time that you skipped," say the Finkes. "If you miss more than two weeks, adjust your goals or switch to a later marathon."

The Long Run

Many runners dread the long run more than they should. our expert panelists generally call for just a few (three to five) runs above 16 miles, typically spaced a week or two apart in the middle weeks of the buildup. If you start your runs early in the morning to beat the summer heat, stay well fueled with sports drinks and other fast-acting carbs, and run with a partner or training group, you'll likely get through all your long runs with few problems.

But how long is long? Most of our panelists suggest peaking at 20 miles, although Galloway has some runners cover 26 to 29 miles. But you don't have to run all those miles on a Galloway plan, as he recommends walk breaks. "Walk breaks give you control over fatigue, and they reduce injury risk," he says. They range from one minute after every two minutes of running for 12-minute-pace runners to 30 seconds after each four minutes of running for eight-minute-pace runners. The rest of our panelists, however, endorse walk breaks only for slower runners. When you are running, your long-run pace should most often be comfortable and conversational - between marathon goal pace for slower runners and two minutes per mile slower than goal pace for faster runners.

Speedwork

Training much faster than marathon goal pace is unnecessary if your only goal is to finish, but it sure helps if you want to meet a specific time goal. "Faster training is the best way to improve on the three physiological variables that lead to a faster marathon: VO2 max, lactate threshold, and running economy," says Powers. That's why almost all of our panelists favor some faster training, at least for more experienced runners. Most prescribe below-marathon-pace sessions like tempo runs, track workouts, hill repetitions, and fartlek (speed play), once or twice a week. Four experts suggest track intervals on Tuesdays and a less-intense hard workout (a tempo run, hill repeats, or fartlek) on Thursdays.

The biggest proponent of high-intensity sessions for marathoners is Pierce, who includes two each week on his schedule. "Intensity training is the single best way to improve aerobic capacity," he says. But in general, a track workout totaling three miles at 10-K race pace or a little faster, plus a tempo run of three to six miles between 10-K and marathon goal pace, is typical for most training plans. As the Finkes put it: "A little bit of speedwork goes a long way."

Motivation

Half the battle of marathon training isn't the running itself, it's finding the resolve to run--day after day. Our panelists agree that first you have to make the commitment, set a realistic goal, and decide on a training plan. Then you have to run a mile--just one at first. Committing yourself every day to running that first mile (or 10 minutes) of each run, they say, will almost always ensure you'll keep going.

All of our pros encourage training with others. "Running partners make the journey easier, more exciting, and more fun," says Finanger. "An iPod can only take you so far," Powers adds. But even with support from regular training partners, you still need to be your own toughest boss. That means posting your training schedule where you'll see it often, treating workouts as unbreakable appointments, and tracking your progress in a running log. Finally, there's the good old carrot-and-stick approach. "Tell yourself you can have something you want, as long as you complete your workout first," say the Finkes. That may mean getting a massage, buying a new pair of shoes, going out to dinner, or just indulging in a bowl of ice cream.

For some of our panelists, "supple-mental training"--aerobic cross-training activities like cycling and swimming, and gym work like lifting and core exercises--is an acceptable option only on nonrunning days, as long as the workouts are short (less than an hour) and low-intensity. The idea is to focus your energies on your running days, since those are the workouts that are ultimately going to get you across the marathon finish line. Others require cross-training workouts--two or three a week for Galloway and Pierce. "Cross-training offers most of the advantages of running more miles without the pounding that can lead to fatigue and injury," says Pierce. According to Pierce, doing 30 to 60 minutes of strenuous aerobic activities, such as swimming or biking, allows your running muscles to recharge while you still reap cardiovascular and muscular benefits, helping you become fitter even when you're not running.

There is, however, wide agreement among our experts as to which cross-training activities are best for runners, with swimming, cycling, strength training, walking, yoga, and aqua-running topping the list in roughly that order. "Swimming improves circulation and strengthens the upper body, with no stress on the legs," Paul says. Cycling focuses on the legs, but emphasizes different muscles than running and gets you out on your favorite roads and trails. As for gym workouts, mix low-impact cardio time on an elliptical or stairclimber with upper-body strength training (choose light weights with high reps to boost muscle endurance) and core exercises. "Core work improves stride efficiency, lessens fatigue, and reduces injuries," the Finkes say.

Fueling Up

Proper nutrition and hydration during marathon training is most important the night before and the day of your long runs. All experts stress the importance of using your long training runs to develop an appropriate eating and drinking plan. "Figure out what combination of foods and liquids works for you," says Higdon. "Then you can eat and drink the same things during the marathon."

This trial-and-error approach also applies to your prerun fueling, which should emphasize easily digestible foods that are high in carbohydrates and lower in fat and fiber. Then there's postrun eating. "Within 15 minutes after a long run, take in a carb-protein drink like a recovery sports shake," says McMillan. "In the next half hour, eat a carb-protein food like an energy bar. And within two hours after the run, eat a meal. This routine will help you recover much faster."

Since you'll most likely be doing your long runs on hot summer weekends, make sure you have fluids available to you along the way. Sports drinks contain carbs to keep you energized and electrolytes to help replenish the minerals lost through sweat. So either carry some with you or stash it somewhere along your course.

Tune-up Races

Tune-ups can be races or training runs at any distance shorter than the marathon that help you gauge your fitness before race day. While our panelists differ on the details of how many tune-ups you should run, they all agree that tune-ups are valuable. "If possible, do your tune-ups at the same time of day as the marathon, run them on a similar course, wear the shoes and clothes you plan to race in, and eat and drink the same things," says Connelly. "By leaving nothing untested, the only surprises in the marathon will be pleasant ones."

You can do one or two tune-up races before your taper or treat a couple long runs as tune-ups. Tune-up options range from racing a 5-K in the place of a track workout to running a half-marathon as a long-run substitute. There's no need to taper for tune-up races, so just train through them according to your schedule.

The Taper

Rest becomes the primary focus in the last two to four weeks before the marathon, after the last long run, when mileage drops to only a few miles a day in the last few days before the race. Why taper? "You need fresh legs to perform well, especially in a race as long as the marathon," says Pierce. "There is strong scientific evidence for this. Tapering increases aerobic enzymes and muscle glycogen, and even produces changes in the brain that let you recruit more muscle mass. And of course, it lets you mentally recharge after all the training."

Of all of our panelists, McMillan's approach to the taper is the most different. "A long, significant taper takes your body out of its training routine and often causes runners to get stale," he says. "I prefer to keep the engine revved with faster workouts while resting the body with only a slight reduction in mileage." Retaining faster workouts is actually part of most of the panelists' schedules. Seven panelists, in fact, schedule a light speed workout just five days before the marathon. "It wakes up your body and mind," says Connelly, "and opens up the lungs and arteries."